Trunk.



PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

H. DAVIS.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

pi /v W (3% PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

H. DAVIS.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. a, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lvllineowo lUNTTED STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT EEIcE.

TRUNK- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,835, datedApril 18, 1905.

Application filed January 3, 1905. Serial No. 239,406.

Be it known that I, H ERMAN DAVIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented new and useful .lmprovements in Trunks, ofwhich the following is a specilication.

My invention pertains to wardrobe-trunks; and its novelty, utility, andpractical advantages will be fully understood from the followingdescription and claims when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in whiclr Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trunkconstituting one embodiment of my invention, the same being shown withits tray and its top in their open positions. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section of the said trunk as the same appears when entirelyclosed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified trunk with its trayand top opened, and Fig. 4. is a longitudinal vertical section of thelatter trunk with its tray and top closed.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, and more particularly Figs. 1and 2 thereof, A is the body of my novel trunk, which is preferablyrectangular in form and provided with a transverse partition (1 of lessheight than its side walls and also provided on said partition-wall andone of its end walls with cleats b. B is the tray of the trunk. The saidtray is preferably made up of a main wall 0, side walls (1, disposed atright angles to the main wall, a shallow inner end wall a, a bar 7",disposed at right angles to and connecting the free edges of the sidewalls (I at the outer ends thereof, and a bar g, disposed at rightangles to and connecting the main wall and the barf. \Vhile I prefer thebarsf' and 7 for connecting the outer ends of the main wall 0 and sidewalls (Z. so as to lend strength and durability to the same, I do notdesire to be understood as confining myself to such construction,inasmuch as the outer end portions of the walls (I may be braced andstrengthened in any approved manner without involving a departure fromthe scope of my invention. It will be noticed, however, that in theconstruction illustrated the bar 7 is adapted to serve the additionalfunction of a support for garment-hangers or the like. The inner shallowwall (1 of the tray B is connected by one or more hinges /1 with one endwall of the body A, and it will be observed that when the tray is swungup into an upright position its center of gravity is such that garmentshung from the bar will tend to retain it in such position and againstcasual fall. It will also be observed that when the tray B is swungdownwardly into a horizontal position the free edges of its side walls1/ will rest on the partition-wall u of the body. Because of the tray Bhaving the side walls (7 it is quite deep, and hence is adapted to holdin orderly arrangement a number of earments. The depth of thetray B-i.(a, the combined width of the walls (I and thickness of the wall cis bypreference proportionately that illustrated, and hence it will benoticed that when the tray is swung down into body A it will project aconsiderable distance above the upper edges of the body-this in order toobviate making the body unduly deep, and thereby rendering it difficultfor a short person to remove a tray, such as O, therefrom. D is the topof the trunk. The said top comprises a main wall A and side and endflanges and m, respectively, and hence is adapted when closed, as shownin Fig. 1, to accommodate the upwardly-projecting portion of the tray Bwithin it. The said top has one of its flanges hinged at p to one of theside walls of the body A, and a strap (1 or other suitable means ispreferably employed to prevent it being opened beyond a verticalposition.

It will be gathered from the foregoing and by reference to the drawings,particularly Fig. 2, that my novel tray Bis almost as long as the trunkas a whole, and hence the said tray, in combination with the body A, isadapted to receive and hold in a neat and orderly manner long garmentssuch as ladies fulllength coats, suits, and skirts and mens overcoats,skirt coats, and the like. It will also be gathered that because of thedepth of the tray B a large number of garments may be placed one infront of the other therein without danger of any of the garmentsbecoming mussed or creased.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of thedrawings differs from the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in that itsbody A is provided with a false end wall T, which extends about theproportional distance illustrated above the body, and in that the tray Bis connected by one or more hinges it to the upper end of said falsewall and a turnbutton E on the main wall of the tray is employed toretain the tray in its upright position. While the tray B is connectedto the upper end of the false wall r, it will be observed that when thetray is in its horizontal or closed position the inner ends of its sidewalls 7) abut against the inner side of the false wall 1", and hence thetray may be made almost as long, in proportion to the length of thetrunk, as the tray B before described. When the tray B is swung into anupright position and the turn-button E is made vertical, the saidturn-button will obviously hold the tray against downward movement,while when the turn-button is made horizontal or parallel to the upperend of the false wall 1* it will in no way interfere with the tray beingsw ung down into the horizontal position shown in Fig. 4.

In conclusion it will be noted that my novel trunks are adapted whenopened to form convenient wardrobes and that in proportion to theircapacity the said trunks are very simple and inexpensive and are welladapted to withstand the rough handling to which trunks are ordinarilysubjected.

In a contemporary application of even date herewith, Serial No. 239,407,I have disclosed a trunk embodying a body and a verticallyswinging trayhinged to the body. The said tray, however, differs from that comprisedin the present embodiments of my invention in that it is hinged to atransverse partition-wall of the body and is open at its outer side.

I have specifically described the construction and relative arrangementof the parts included in the present embodiments of my invention inorder to impart a full, clear, and

exact understanding of the said embodiments. I do not desire, however,to be understood as confining myself to said specific construction andrelative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may bemade in prac- 5 tice as fairly fall within the scope of my insaid trayand body being so relatively'ar- 6 ranged that when the tray isswunginto ahori.-. Zontal position it will project above the upper edgeof the body, while when the tray is swung into an upright position thefree edge of its shallow end wall will rest above the 6.

edge of one end wall of the body, and a top hinged to one side of thebody and comprising a main wall and flanges, whereby when said top isclosed it is adapted to receive the projecting portion of the tray. 7

2. In a wardrobe-trunk, the combination of a body, a swinging trayhinged to one upright wall of the body and comprising a main wall andside walls extending inwardly from said main wall; said tray and bodybeing so rela- 7 tively arranged that when the tray is swung into ahorizontal position it will project above .the upper edge of the body,and a top hinged to one upright wall of the body, other than the uprightwall mentioned, and comprising a main wall and flanges, whereby whensaid top is closed it is adapted to receive the projecting portion ofthe tray.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand'in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HERMAN DAVIS. WVitnesses:

O. METZGER, C. B. I-IoYT.

